He was serving as a petty officer aboard the Y.O.L.2, a new oil barge docked near submarines in Pearl Harbor. The grave danger was due to the barge’s cargo at that time: 100,000 gallons of 100 octane gasoline and 50,000 gallons of diesel oil.
“I was in my bunk. They told me there were explosions in the harbor. We were just three-quarters of a mile away,” remembers Ruby. “I thought our guys were just practicing, but as soon as I saw the round red circles on the planes, I knew we were being attacked.”
The first two waves of the Japanese attack were successful, sinking or disabling 18 ships, and killing or wounding more than 3,500 Americans. The third wave, planned to destroy the oil reserves and maintenance facilities, was aborted due to the limited visibility from the heavy smoke and fear of suffering losses due to American anti-aircraft strikes.
“That saved my life,” said Ruby, who was 24 at the time.
More than seven decades later, that Pearl Harbor survivor just celebrated his 100th birthday. Ruby turned 100 on Nov. 1.
He lives in Vandalia with his daughter, Linda Kelly, who held a birthday party for him at the VFW post on Wilmington Pike in Kettering on Veterans Day, Nov. 11. Relatives and friends could drop by anytime between noon and 5 p.m.
The room was decorated with a large banner and American flags. There was an elaborate cake with his picture. Spittin’ image, a musical/comedy duo, was on hand for entertainment. A table held many family portraits and awards that Ruby had received. There was an old photo taken 58 years ago with Ruby’s extended family when Linda was only 10 years old.
“All of the people in the picture who are still alive came to the party,” said Kelly, who takes care of her dad at her home in north Dayton.
About 50 relatives and friends showed up that day for his celebration. Ruby has two children, one granddaughter, Megan, and one great-granddaughter, Autumn. His son, Michael Ruby, was there talking about the significance of his dad’s 100th birthday.
“It’s pretty amazing. But he took immaculate care of his health. There were lots of foods he wouldn’t eat; no sugar, no white bread, no pop. He took a lot of vitamins and supplements,” said Michael, a Vandalia resident. “He didn’t have many vices, didn’t drink a lot of alcohol. His age is a testament to his diligence with his health.”
On that fateful day in 1941, Ruby and the rest of the crew evacuated the barge and spent the rest of the day providing ground and rescue support. Later he served on the USS Boreas providing food and supplies to Navy service personnel throughout the Pacific. After 10 years in the Navy, he retired at the rank of chief petty officer.
Back in Ohio, he worked as a heating and air conditioning engineer, first for Sears, then Butler and then Logan. He retired around the age of 65, then worked part-time at Home Depot for a year after that.
His wife Jean, also known as Goldie, died 15 years ago.
Ruby had a stroke two years ago but stays socially active.
“He has lunch with a couple of women friends and attends Drum Circle once a month. The first Saturday of each month he goes to Longhorn Steakhouse in Vandalia for a free veterans breakfast,” said Kelly.
But of all his outings, he’ll remember this special birthday party on Veteran’s Day.
“The party was very rewarding,” said Ruby.
Contact this contributing writer at PamDillon@woh.rr.com.
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